Tears
by Dina Dissendium
Summary: What happens when Hermione catches Malfoy crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom? HBP spoilers. [ONE SHOT]


**Author's Note:** This contains spoilers from HBP. Its my try at a one shot between Hermione and Draco. What happened between Hermione and Draco in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom...and she never told her two best friends. Enjoy!

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Angry...angry was an understatement with the way I felt toward Ron right now. I knew I really shouldn't have felt angry...I mean, I dated Victor during my fourth year; he was _perfectly _entitled to be in a relationship with anyone he likes.

So, in a logical sense of thinking, I shouldn't have been angry at all. Not unless I was in love with him.

But that was just the problem. I think I AM in love with him. And I actually, for a while, thought he felt the same way. You know, that womanly intuition that you just can't explain, that you KNOW that person must have feelings for you. Its all about the way they act.

For instance, Ron always seemed to find it a problem when I wrote Victor a letter, or even said his name. Secondly, thinking back to the Yule Ball, Ron was angry at me there too. No particular reason for him to be mad at me. The same way I feel now.

But its not as if was kissing Victor all over the place...in FRONT of him.

Then again, Ron was always tactless.

I don't even know why I'm attracted to him.

Negative things about him..well there's a lot. He's poor, he's tactless, he has a bit of a short temper, and he's terribly _awkward. _

But then again, being in love is not about loving the perfect person, its about loving their imperfections.

And that I do.

I love how protective he is, which is in translation for his short temper. I love his awkwardness, I'm willing to correct his tactlessness, and his poverty: I could care less.

But he torn my heart in two right now.

At that damn party, well I needed to leave it. I know it was wrong, that I was supposed to be celebrating it..and be there for the sake of Harry, but I couldn't stand watching him and Lavender kiss all over the party. Literally.

So I did the thing I usually do when I'm angry..practice magic. Simple magic, like transfiguring. Practicing what I just learned. And I happened to be practicing what McGonagall just taught us, transfiguring objects into birds.

Little yellow birds flying over my head.

And it was bliss, because for that moment, I forgot about my pain, my anger, my stress, my sorrow.

It was just me, the magic, and the birds.

I never really could understand how us witches and warlocks could transfigure something manmade into something that is living. Something that God was supposed to have created. Are these birds fake? I wasn't sure, but all I knew for now was that they were the only thing that was keeping me company for now, even though all they were doing was flying over my head.

I was so absorbed in what I was doing, that I didn't even notice Harry walk in through the door. I realized how lucky I was to have him as a friend. Even before we were really friends, he still came for me in times when I was angry. Or depressed. Just like first year, when he rescued me from the troll. Always there.

I shot him a true smile when I saw him, even though I trembled a little. The smile was to him, because he was there, and that thought comforted me a lot. He was like the brother I never had.

"Hermione?" said Harry tentatively, looking into the room.

"Oh, hello Harry. I was just practicing," I said, trying to regain my composure. I didn't want him to think that I cared. But I think it was too late for that, because Harry was eyeing me with, not pity, but, ah, caution.

"Yeah...they're- er - really good..." said Harry, awkwardly. He had no idea what to say to me, I could tell.

"Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations," I said, my voice a pitch too high, which I realized too late. But I couldn't help it. I had to break the silence with something. But Harry was my best friend. He would get the idea.

"Er...does he?" replied Harry.

"Don't pretend you didn't see him," I said, a little more vehemently. "He wasn't exactly hiding it was-?"

Just then the door burst open. When Harry realized who it was, he looked horrified. When _I _realized who it was, I was FURIOUS.

"Oh," was all Ron could say.

Lavender said, "oops!" and giggled, which was all it seemed she knew how to do, besides kiss, and swung the door shut behind her. Ron stood there though. Some nerve.

Oh? Was that all he could say?

I stared.

"Hi Harry! Wondered where you got to!" he finally said.

I slid off the desk. I had it. I wasn't paying attention to the birds now though, but I knew they were still circling my head.

"You shouldn't leave Lavender outside," I said quietly. "She'd wonder where you'd gone."

I walked _very slowly _toward the door. But my eyes were exploding a storm, probably making the brown color a shade darker than it was.

Of course I wouldn't leave with out doing anything. Ron was stupid to think that brilliant, studious, Hermione Granger would leave with out doing anything.

"_Oppugno!" _I cried from the door. Hehe, I bet he never would have suspected it.

I would have loved to stand there and watch..reveling in his pain, but to make my "dramatic" escape, I shot him one last look of fury and slammed the door...what happened next..I could only imagine.

I didn't want to go back to the common room. Too many people were there. And what would they make of it that a couple of minutes after Ron and Lavender left to go snog somewhere more private, I came back, in tears?

So I decided..the usual spot..Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Nobody ever goes there.

Or so I thought.

I burst into the door way, tears trickling down my cheeks, silently.

But it seemed like everything froze when I realized who was there.

Draco Malfoy.

Yes. Draco Malfoy. In a girl's bathroom. And you would never guess what he was doing.

He was crying.

For a minute there I forgot that it was Draco Malfoy. All I could see was a someone in a considerable amount of pain.

I didn't say anything, because I didn't want to startle him. I was watching tears slide down his long, pale nose. He was clutching the circular sink and was bending over.

I dared not to breathe.

But I... a jolt of electricity shot through me when I saw him crying. When I realized he has feelings. When I realized he was a person, not just a machine. It was like discovering that trees could talk, or discovering that the earth was really round, or even discovering that the sky was really purple, and the human eye cannot see it.

I stood there staring for what felt like a long time, which was actually, in reality, about four seconds, when I took a step forward.

That was the wrong move.

Malfoy whirled around. Oh, he looked _livid_. He looked mad at me. Mad at himself. And mad at the situation.

I let out the breath I was holding in.

"What the _hell _are you doing here, Granger?" he said stepping forward.

I have to admit, for the first time, I was intimidated. I shouldn't have been, because I had my wand.

But his eyes were so stormy, and he looked SO tall..he was towering over me...

So I stepped back as he was stepping closer.

"The question is, what are YOU doing here, Malfoy?" I spat out vehemently. A facade for my real intimidation.

"I was here first," he pointed out, sounding like a child.

I snorted humorlessly.

"This is a GIRL'S bathroom," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly Malfoy, I knew you were unsure of your sexuality, but-?" I started.

"SILENCE!" roared Malfoy. I jumped. I never knew he could scream that loud. In fact, I must have jumped about a foot into the air.

"Okay," I managed to say feebly.

"You better leave, Granger," said Malfoy, and he looked older than sixteen then.

I was torn between two things. Torn between being Hermione Granger, my stubborn self, and to stay, and torn between just bolting for the door and never looking back.

But.. I decided to be ...Hermione Granger.

"No," I said, crossing my arms, and raising my eyebrow, as is daring for a fight. OH, I was looking for it. I was witch, I could defend myself..I had a wand.

"What did you say?" said Malfoy, in a low voice, stepping nearer.

I was a little scared, but I didn't show it.

"I heard you crying," I dared to say.

I held my breath.

"What is that, mudblood? You saw me crying? Well, you repeat what you saw to anyone..and I will get a special someone to follow you around," said Draco, sneering.

"Oh, threatening me, are you Malfoy?" I said, stepping nearer to him, and feeling braver. "Well, here's the catch: I'm not scared."

"You should be," said Malfoy, beginning to walk circles around me.

I was following his lead. He looked like he was ready to attack any minute. Prepared, as I always am, I put my hand in my pocket and clutched my wand. Malfoy, unfortunately, followed my movements with his eyes and attacked first.

Malfoy roared the freezing charm. That little bastard! I could have roared with frustration...if I wasn't frozen.

Malfoy smirked. He was now circling me.

"I have you in my power, Granger, right now," sneered Malfoy, pointing out the obvious.

My eyes widened in surprised. That bastard wouldn't dare...

"Oh, no Granger, I would never touch a dirty Mudblood like you," said Malfoy, looking amused at the thought. "But there are, ah, so many other things to do with you right now."

I looked at him as if to say "go ahead, kill me."

Malfoy read this expression too.

"Oh no, Granger, I wouldn't dream of it," said Malfoy, crossing his arms. "Killing you would be very stupid, however tempting the thought is."

I rolled my eyes. All I had to do to get out of this situation was..hmm...silent spells... all I had to do was mutter the countercurse without talking.

I concentrated, however panicked I was, and however hard it was to, but I concentrated on the counter curse and ... I felt myself unfreeze.

I was triumphant. All I had to do now was make believe that I was frozen, and when he least expects it, bolt for the door.

Malfoy was still babbling, acting slick, probably trying to act like Lucius. I sneered myself at the thought. And I never sneer. But who in the name of hell would want to be like Lucius Malfoy?

Malfoy thought I was listening, and did a very stupid move next. This was my chance. It was now or never.

I bolted for the door.

I was running..

Running...

But all of a sudden I wasn't. My eyes widened in confusion. What was wrong with me? And why did I feel a sudden, sharp pain on my wrist?

Do I dare look down?

I looked down, and much to my dismay..yes, as you can guess, Malfoy was holding on to my wrist. Damn it.

"Thought you could get away with that, Granger? I'm much too quick for you," sneered Malfoy.

I tried to remain calm. One..two..three..four..five..six..seven..eight..nine..ten.. My way to get rid of stress. I got out of one mess, and I came into another one.

"What is it that you want Malfoy?" I said, pulling my hands rather suddenly from his grip. "I haven't done NOTHING to you."

"Of course you haven't," said Malfoy. "You wouldn't dare."

Was that true? Well, I'll show him: that slimy..disgusting..evil..

"Yeah? You think so?" I said, angrily.

This, I could tell, was reaching Malfoy's desired effect. This arrogant git WANTED me to get mad. It helps ceases his tears.

"You damn ..ugh..words cannot even describe how I feel right now toward you. You are going to end up dying alone..all alone..even Crabbe and Goyle won't be there for you. You have no real friends," I spat out vehemently.

"Friends?" he said, wickedly amused. "Friends? There is no such thing as friends. Only fools believe in such a thing. There is just power. And when you have none to follow it..well that's when you'll consider yourself a lonely man."

"Malfoy-stop this talk. You sound as if you're thirty! You are only sixteen, what do you know about power?"

"More than most thirty year old men do," Malfoy said quietly.

"I don't believe you," I said, crossing my arms, as if I was a particularly stubborn eleven year old who was refusing to believe in the tooth fairy.

Malfoy was becoming impatient with me. He grabbed my arms rather violently and pulled me against the wall. Every line in his face was marred with fury. I cringed under him...right now, I'd rather be back in that room with Ron.

"Mudblood, you don't have to believe anything. Just NEVER repeat a word of this to ANYONE. Got it?"

I slipped under him rather cleverly and stood up my full height (which isn't really that tall).

"_You _don't tell me what to do," I said, ready to leave.

I was walking to the door.

And I was surprised to see that Malfoy wasn't stopping me.

But then, at the last minute, as if Malfoy was making up his mind whether to stop me or not while, Malfoy ran in front of the door way.

I sighed. I knew it.

"Malfoy, I'm too tired to play these games," I said, dreary. I really wanted to go to bed.

"Oh, are you?" said Malfoy, acting like the bastard he was. Sarcasm. I hated it..on Malfoy and Snape. Does Malfoy get sarcasm lessons from Snape in his spare time?

"Why, yes, I am," I said, in a bored voice.

Yet I held on tight to my wand.

He must have saw that, because he smirked.

"Trying to be, ah, _cautious _before big bad Malfoy attacks the Mudblood?" said Malfoy, mocking me.

I bit back a scream of frustration. _He's not going to get to me... He's not going to get to me... He's not going to get to me..._

"Oh, please, even to walk down the stairs you need your body guards with you," I retorted, crossing my arms.

The bastard was still circling me.

"Same to you, my dear. Pothead and Weasel never leave your sight. But _oh goody, _you're all alone, right now," said Malfoy, rubbing his hands together like one would do before eating Turkey on Thanksgiving.

"Ew..you-" I started.

But Malfoy clasped his hand over my mouth before I could say the rest.

"No, Granger, didn't I tell you that I don't have intentions on-?" started Malfoy, but (aha!) in the nick of time I bit his hand (victory!).

"Arghhh! You bitch!" he roared, and right then I ran for the door.

Running...

Running..

Almost there...

Ugh! Malfoy grabbed my wrist again.

"Why don't you want me to leave?" I asked, and the despair was evident in my voice.

"Oh, this is too fun," he said, evilly.

"Is it?" I said, ready to beat him down with words. "I saw you crying Malfoy. Tell me why you were crying."

"Why would you care?" he said, the his voice hardened.

"Because...of course I don't care about you..but normally humans care when a fellow human is in pain," I said, raising an eyebrow.

_Go ahead Malfoy.._. I thought to myself. _Dare to say I'm not human.._

Well he didn't. He didn't deny it. Although, I must admit, I expected him to.

And he did something that I never thought he would do. He bend over by the sink, as if he was going to throw up, his long hands clutching the sides, and started to sob silently.

I stared. Did he forget that I was there?

"Malfoy?" I asked, hesitantly. "Malfoy?"

"Granger, go away," he said, and although he was sobbing quietly, I could hear the tears in his voice.

"No," I said. And even to me, I didn't make sense. First I wanted to leave, and when he started crying I didn't?

It just occurred to me how evil that sounded.

"Malfoy, I'm not mocking you...even though you always do to me..because I'm not stooping down to your level..but at least tell me why you're crying...so I could help..?" I said, daring to come closer.

"No!" he roared, grabbing my wrists.

NOW I was frightened. I should have left when I had the time.

"STOP IT!" I cried, trying to wretch my hands out of his grip, but he was too strong.

He was hearing none of it.

"You have NO idea what I have to go through because of Mudbloods like YOU," he said viciously.

"I don't know what to do anymore," he said, tears streaming down still. "Whether I want to kiss you-" he said, and with that he bend his head and put his lips on mine. I was too shocked to respond. He pulled away, his expression wild, like a madman.

"Or I want to kill you," he said, holding out his wand. He actually aimed a spell on me, that bastard, but luckily I ducked. I ran for the door this time, for good.

I closed the door behind me, my heard racing.

I cannot BELIEVE that just happened.

And from then on, I realized something...something that I always kept to myself. I became in love with Draco Malfoy. The Death Eater's son.

**Author's Note: **

So how did you like it? Review!


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